It depends on the paint you want. If you choose one of the standard liveries I believe P1 ‘only’ costs $500 more. But if you get one of the custom colors it will run you up to +$1,500. But, by the time you’re going P1, I think you should really just get what you want. If that’s just one of the standard colors, like the Trek Factory Racing paint, then great it doesn’t cost you too much more. I think I would go the Solid Minimal Logo design with a white on white look. I like the clean look and I’m sick of all the black bikes out there.

This very much sounds like the dilemma I’m going through at the moment. I’m really wanting to upgrade/replace my road bike. To put it in perspective, I’m riding a $750 AUD road bike on a Neo…

I basically want an all rounder for indoors on the trainer, longer outdoor rides, and (maybe?) racing if I went in that direction. I love the look of some of the new aero bikes, but my main concern (apart from price) is concern around flexibility limitations. Not sure if this is something I should just work on and if it should stop me going aero vs say an endurance road bike.

Sorry, but I agree with @nico_synergy. I’ll always advocate supporting your local bike shop, and in turn they will support you. There’s a real community spirit to cycling and often the hub is the local bike shop. They’re often run by cyclists for cyclists. Wherever possible, I’ll always buy local.

In our high streets there are too many empty units where local business have failed as they simply can’t keep up with the big online retailers.

I am in a bit of a quandary myself. Although my daily bike is a fixed gear, which I love riding, I also have my road bike, a Stevens SCF with full Ultegra SL group (6600 I believe). Bike is great but it is approaching 10 years old and it needs a refresh (cassette, chainrings, chain, cables) and it would be nice to upgrade the wheels to carbon hoops. Add that all up and getting into up to $2K + Cdn. I also think that if I am upgrading wheels it might be a good time to disc and tubeless, especially for carbon ones. My bike isn’t disc compatible.

An equivalent bike before a carbon wheelset is well above $5K and as much as I would love one, I just can’t spend that kind of money. My alternative is getting a better aluminum frame instead of carbon (like a CAAD12) with the new 105 disc group (7020) and swap out the wheels. Even though the new Al frame and 105 is probably better than 10 year old Ultegra it feels like a downgrade to me. Maybe that’s me just being shallow and bike-snobby

For sure, that new 105 will far surpass the feel and performance of that old Ultegra. No question on the shifting performance and lever action being much better. Labels are labels. The reality is that new group is so close to the current Ultegra that most couldn’t tell the difference without looking.

And the modern aluminum bikes today are also so much better than the aluminum of old. The tubing and welding techniques have brought them within spitting distance if carbon performance. I actually take the aluminum bike over an equally priced carbon bike, because the carbon version is a lower end build compared to top end carbon.

All that is to say the options you are considering shouldn’t be viewed as ‘downgrades’, IMHO.

@mcneese.chad I agree totally. Objectively I know both new frames and groupsets will be as good or better, just like I think there is little value in going up from the new 105 to Ultegra. Subjectively there is that fatal flaw of human nature of wanting to keep up appearances (however, I am fortunate enough to be in a position where I can afford just about any bike I want but this is just one of several things that discretionary spending go towards). I still have several upgrades to the track bike to go too. Maybe those lottery tickets will pay off and this will all be moot.

Short of getting a deal through connections, I am leaning towards the Cannondale CAAD12 with the Shiman 105-7020 disc group and upgrading the wheels to carbon tubeless.